Miami-dade Officer Kills Man

In the first fatal police shooting in Miami-Dade County this year, an officer Thursday shot and killed a 53-year-old man armed with a butcher knife.

Miami-Dade police officer Jessica Alvarez acted in self-defense when she shot Arnold Clark in his home near Miami Shores, said police spokesman Lupo Jimenez.

Clark had been arguing with his mother when police were called out to their home around 7:40 a.m.

Clark's mother, who was not identified by police, told officers her son was armed with a knife and was threatening to kill himself.

Alvarez and another officer, Jorge Baluja, encountered Clark in a hallway holding the knife.

Alvarez, a five-year veteran of the police department, opened fire after Clark started walking toward her with the knife, disregarding commands to put his weapon down, police said.

"It's unfortunate that a life had to be taken but this officer was protecting herself," Jimenez said. He would not say how many shots were fired.

Clark was taken to Ryder Trauma Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Clark had a long criminal history dating back to 1974, which included several drug convictions as late as 1997 for heroine possession, according to court records.

He was arrested in 1982 for first-degree murder; court records indicate the charge was dismissed.

On Thursday, community activists criticized the shooting, saying officers are often ill equipped to deal with the mentally unstable.

"This is a bad replay that's played over and over," said Max Rameau of the Liberty City-based Brothers of the Same Mind. "Cops have a very bad problem with blacks and the mentally ill."

Two years ago, after Miami police fatally shot Richard Beatty, a mentally-ill man armed with a pocketknife, that department enlarged a team of officers specially trained in dealing with people in crisis situations.